


Day 9: Cabin

by ApophisOfficer



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Promptober 2019, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 22:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApophisOfficer/pseuds/ApophisOfficer
Summary: Benten better know how much Juno loved the brat. There were exactly two people in this entire god forsaken world for whom Juno would make enough of a fool of himself to attend a Halloween Detective Mystery party. Benten was the only one he’d maybe admit it about, under pain of death, but he knew Rita could probably pry a similar promise out of him with work and a lot of grumbling on his part.





	Day 9: Cabin

Benten better know how much Juno loved the brat. There were exactly two people in this entire god forsaken world for whom Juno would make enough of a fool of himself to attend a Halloween Detective Mystery party. Benten was the only one he’d maybe admit it about, under pain of death, but he knew Rita could probably pry a similar promise out of him with work and a lot of grumbling on his part. 

Benten better be counting his blessings and if he gave Juno a single bit of grief over wearing his office clothes, Juno would start telling people about that time he tricked Benten into peeing his pants in public when they were ten. 

His brother had rented an Airbnb cabin outside of town with enough rooms for quite a few people for the party. He’d always been overenthusiastic about Halloween but now with two equally dramatic and excitable partners, they’d collectively dialed it up to eleven. Juno supposed Benten deserved partners who would fuel his fiery passion but himself being collateral was decidedly not excited about. 

So, here Juno was, walking into a party his twin was throwing on Halloween in his work suit, trying to hastily read his character assignment. He hadn’t bothered to do more than glance at it when it arrived with his formal invitation. Jupiter Metallic (and he could practically see Benzaiten’s shit eating grin when he had picked the role for Juno) was a “detective, partners with Rex Glass, investigating a note claiming the Moon Stone would be stolen at midnight. Jupiter Metallic was gruff and worn down from the job, an old hat at detective work who used to work in homicide before transferring to the Theft & Burglary division after an injury (player choice)” and then a suspicious white space. 

If Juno didn’t know better, he’d think Benten had fucking made up the role but the carefully whited out section at the bottom, where Benten had redacted something and photocopied the invite so it would be less obvious, said otherwise. The faintest shadow of the words former partner loomed somewhere in the depths of that white coverup and Juno couldn’t feel anything but grateful. Benten was like that. He’d harangue you into doing something but he’d also make it as easy and painless for you to follow through as he could. 

Still, seeing it typed out in black and white and troped up to the gills, yet reflecting his own life back on him like some terrible funhouse mirror made something twist in his belly. 

Ben probably didn’t write it. He wouldn’t have made it so specific, he just renamed the character so it would seem less serious and tried to get rid of the part that would take the character from mocking funhouse reflection to full on punch to the gut. 

Juno should really just be grateful there had been a character similar enough that he wouldn’t have to fail at play acting and end up feeling guilty about ruining his brother’s party. 

The cabin was lit bright and cheery, more party than mystery. It did not lend to a spooky halloween party but here in the dark woods with nothing but other cabins surrounding them, it was a reassuring atmosphere. 

Benzaiten Steel, ladies and gentlemen, able to make any setting brighter. 

The gravel drive leading up the the front porch was lined with orange plastic pumpkins, their glowing smiles cartoonish. At the end of the path, the door was open but the screen door was shut. Inviting but also keeping out bugs. The edge of a blue sofa was visible, another backdoor beyond it in a straight shot. If Juno was lucky, he’d be able to stick to that couch with a glass full of a strong drink.

If the happy call of a person catching him before he could even get halfway up the drive was any kind of omen, ti was a bad one. 

“Hello, here for the party as well?”

When Juno turned around, he was met with a tall man, handsome with glasses that accentuated the angles of his face. That was the kind of face that could deliver your death sentence and have you smiling for every second of it. 

"Yeah, brother's one of the hosts. You?"

The tall man grinned, the edges of it sharp and predatory. He looked absolutely delighted to see Juno, though Juno himself couldn't begin to decipher why.

"Friends with a host. I was getting worried I'd passed fashionably late by, but if getting lost on the way here lets me walk in with you then I certainly have no complaints."

Wow. 

Okay, so that's why he looked like the cat that got the canary.

Well, if a handsome stranger wanted to flirt with him, Juno certainly wasn't going to miss the opportunity. He swallowed against his own suddenly dry mouth, urging himself to talk like he'd ever known how.

The tall man beat him to it.

"Tonight my name is Rex Glass, and I'm very much hoping you are Jupiter Metallic."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Going to see if I can use this universe as my Penumbra MiniBang starting point. What is here will obviously change but look forward to a whole fic one day, MiniBang or no.
> 
> Beta Read by Grammarly.com  
Thank you Grammarly for your good software haha
> 
> You can find my prompt sheet here: https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/854695


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